Salary and Qualifications

The average starting salary for a hospital CEO executive secretary was $42,000 as of 2013, according to the job site Indeed. This income is slightly higher than salaries of the lowest 25 percent of all executive secretaries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, who earned $38,030 or less annually. The minimum requirements for this job are typically a high school degree and one or more years of secretarial experience. Some employers may prefer hiring executive secretaries with associate's or bachelor's degrees. Other essential requirements are communication, speaking, writing, data-entry and computer experience.

Salary by Region

In 2013, average starting salaries for hospital CEO executive secretaries varied the most within the West region, according to Indeed, where they earned the highest salaries of $46,000 in California and lowest of $28,000 in Hawaii. Those in the Northeast made $36,000 to $51,000 per year in Maine and New York, respectively. These secretaries earned $36,000 to $50,000 in Louisiana and Washington, D.C., which represented the lowest and highest salaries in the South region. In the Midwest, they earned the least in Nebraska and South Dakota and most in Illinois -- $32,000 and $46,000, respectively.

Contributing Factors

An executive secretary who works for a hospital CEO may get paid a starting salary commensurate with her experience level. Hospitals CEOs must have highly capable executive secretaries, so they may be willing to pay a few thousand dollars more for the right candidate. These secretaries may also earn higher starting salaries working for larger hospitals or hospital networks, which can better afford to pay the higher salaries than smaller hospitals. Those who work in California and Washington, D.C., earn more because of higher living costs in that state and district. For example, a hospital CEO executive secretary earning $40,000 in Atlanta would have to make $54,651 in Los Angeles to enjoy the same living standard, according to CNN Money's "Cost of Living" calculator. In Washington, D.C., she'd need to earn $60,347 to maintain her living standard, or approximately 51 percent more.

Job Outlook

The BLS projected a 12 percent increase in jobs for secretaries and administrative assistants through 2020, which is average compared to the 14 percent hiring rate for all occupations. Employment for top executives will only increase 5 percent during this decade, as the hiring rate for CEOs is typically slower than that of most employees. Similarly, hospital CEO executive secretaries may find fewer jobs with these top-level executives. They may find more job opportunities with new hospitals or those which are planning expansions.